Othello
Othello is a two-player board game played with reversible black-and-white discs on an 8 by 8 grid. Players take turns placing one disc, then flip any opponent discs trapped in a straight line between the new disc and another disc of their own colour. Discs stay where they are placed; they change sides when they are flipped. The winner is the player with more discs showing at the end.
Setup
Choose which player will use black discs and which player will use white discs. Place four discs in the middle of the board with matching colours on each diagonal. The player using black takes the first turn.
Playing a disc
A move is legal only if your new disc traps at least one opponent disc. Trapping means making an unbroken straight line: your new disc at one end, one or more opponent discs in the middle, and one of your existing discs at the other end. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.
How a turn works
- Find a legal square. Look for an empty square where your disc would trap at least one opponent disc in a straight line.
- Place one disc. Put your disc on that empty square.
- Flip every trapped line. Turn over all opponent discs trapped by that move, in every direction where trapping happened.
- Pass only if you must. If you have no legal move, you pass. If you do have a legal move, you must play.
What does not count
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| No trapped disc | You cannot place a disc just because the square is empty. It must trap at least one opponent disc. |
| Gap in the line | Empty squares break the line, so discs beyond the gap are not flipped. |
| Your own disc next to the new disc | That direction flips nothing unless there are opponent discs between your two discs. |
| No legal move | You pass, and your opponent plays again. Passing is not optional when you have a legal move. |
Ending and scoring
Play until neither player can make a move, at which point the game ends and the player with the most disks on the board is the winner. If there are an equal number of disks then it is a tie.
Beginner strategy
- Corners are powerful. A corner disc cannot be flipped, so corners often decide the endgame.
- Do not chase every flip early. Flipping many discs early can give your opponent better moves.
- Think about your opponent's next turn. A good move leaves them with fewer useful legal moves.
- Edges matter late. Stable edge discs are hard to flip and help protect nearby discs.